Recent Posts

I get migraines at least once a month. Mine are hormonal, so until I slog my way through menopause, my migraines will be like really inconvenient clockwork. I thought I’d share how I deal with them. YMMV. • Know Your Triggers: My migraines are hormonally-triggered, so there’s nothing I can avoid to avoid migraines. But you might be more lucky. Journal what you eat/drink and your habits. You might spot a pattern. Some people experience migraines as a part of an allergic reaction, often to things like chocolate. Some people experience them when they eat too many rich foods. You […]

My advice to everyone: learn to automatically append “Your Mileage May Vary” to every piece of advice you’re given. Even this. Every time you hear a piece of advice, think it: “Your Mileage May Vary”. Just because the advice was shared with you doesn’t mean you have to take it or that you’re even expected to. Advice is a bonding interaction that helps people feel closer and helpful. People love feeling wise and feeling as though their experience will be beneficial to others. Much advice is given not as a practical solution but as a comfort or note of optimism. Some […]

Speaking of delightful divination, I also teased that I’d be studying up on my love of palm reading. I’ve been interested in palm reading since I was a kid. My brother bought a pocket-sized book on the topic when I was in grade school (which I wish I still had) and it instantly captured my interest. Of all the forms of fortune telling, it seemed somewhat plausible to me because at least parts of our lives will manifest in our hands and having certain hands means you’ll naturally be more adept at certain pursuits. I’ve been studying up to get just […]

Reviewing a zine is highly subjective. We Are Only Children is objectively awesome. Fact. Each month, creator/curator Cat Rocketship sends along a little bundle of neato. Usually, that means one hand-drawn, photocopied zine (or two) and stickers she printed. In the past, issues have included hand painted artwork, screen printed cards and more. I’m in love with Cat’s art style, so that makes loving We Are Only Children very, very easy. But if I needed something to put me over-the-top in love with it, the overwhelming sense of calm and curiosity I get when I browse through it would do […]

I thought it was about time to talk about Fifty Shades of Grey. I’m not citing any sources because honestly, other people have researched this so much better than I ever could. Spoiler alert? If you think Fifty Shades is bad because it includes BDSM (or premarital sex) at all, you should probably just shuffle out the nearest Exit. Trigger warnings for discussion of rape, abuse, victim blaming, sex and bdsm.

Back in January, I ordered the Zoya New Year New Hue promotion (now over). They were offering your choice of any three shades of nail polish (normally $9ish each) PLUS 3 “all new” mystery mini shades for “free”, just pay $15 shipping. I just received it, so I figured I’d review it. It took about a month for me to get this order, which I know is not normal for Zoya. Since this was a “free” promotion, they didn’t exactly put a rush on the orders. They also claimed they waited for the promotion to end to begin mixing the mystery shades. […]

I teased this in my Year of More post, so it’s finally time to talk about one of my favourite, forgotten hobbies: dowsing! Dowsing is a type of divination that can take many different forms, from holding sticks above ground to tell where water (or graves) are located to incredibly complex mechanical devices used by the military. A common means of dowsing is to hold a pendulum. The pendulum’s movement indicates an answer. How does it work? Well, that depends who you ask. Most people who believe in the practice subscribe to the theory that your subconscious causes minute muscle movements that […]

I’ve never been one for resolutions. Sometimes, I made them when forced for a class assignment or scrawled my intent to date a cute boy in my journal. I treated the tradition with equal amounts of disdain and annoyance. Why lie to yourselves? Why buy into the notion that we should reinvent ourselves every 365.25 days? Why bother? I rang in 2015 surrounded by friends with a smile on my face. I have friends who are a couple who host the most wonderful, soul-warming holiday parties. As the clock hit midnight and we raised our Solo cups of champagne, I […]